Granite Grinder
- This article is about the Rock Raider vehicle. For the LEGO set featuring it, see 4940 Granite Grinder.
The Granite Grinder is a heavy-duty vehicle from the LEGO Rock Raiders theme. It is a large walker with a robust drill mounted on the front, two boosters on its rear end, and a roll cage for protecting its driver. It can use its drill to grind through most types of rock very quickly, and its two large feet and boosters allow it to cross rubble and debris safely and easily. The Granite Grinder is featured in the LEGO Rock Raiders set 4940 Granite Grinder, along with Axle. Granite Grinders can only be used in the Windows version of the video game LEGO Rock Raiders; they do not appear at all in the PlayStation version.
In LEGO Rock Raiders for Windows
In the Windows version of LEGO Rock Raiders, the Granite Grinder is classified as a large vehicle, and requires three energy crystals for power. A Rock Raider must be trained as a driver to use a Granite Grinder.
Although by default it moves at a relatively slow speed of 0.5 blocks per second, the Granite Grinder is fairly quick with drilling. Without upgrades, it takes 0.8 seconds to drill dirt, 2 seconds to drill loose rock, 180 seconds (3 minutes) to drill hard rock, and 16 seconds to drill seams.
Despite otherwise appearing impressive, the Granite Grinder is as slow at drilling hard rock as the Small Digger is. The Chrome Crusher uses an identical drill model, yet it can mine hard rock 180 times faster by default. While an upgraded Granite Grinder is far faster for mass-mining dirt and loose rock than a Small Digger, in missions with a lot of of hard rock it may be preferable save up two more energy crystals to teleport down a Chrome Crusher.
Dependency
The Granite Grinder costs three energy crystals and requires the following for teleportation:
- Rock Raider
- Level 1 Tool Store
- Level 1 Teleport Pad
- Level 1 Power Station
- Level 2 Support Station
- Super Teleport
Upon telelporting down a Granite Grinder for the first time, the help window will display this message:
You have now got your first Granite Grinder. It will let you drill through most rock types in a very short amount of time.
Upgrades
There are three upgrades available for the Granite Grinder:
- Drill: Costs twenty pieces of ore. Adds a second drill to the vehicle. It now only takes 0.4 seconds to drill dirt, 1 second to drill loose rock, 150 seconds (2.5 minutes) to drill hard rock, and 8 seconds to drill seams.
- Engine: Costs ten pieces of ore. Adds two more boosters to the back of the vehicle, increasing the vehicle's route speed from 0.5 blocks per second to 0.8 blocks per second.
- Scanner: Costs five pieces of ore. Installs a radar aboard the vehicle, with a scanning radius of 5 blocks.
In-game appearances
- In 7. Drilling With Vehicles, a Granite Grinder is behind the second wall the player must drill, to demonstrate how it can drill faster than either Rock Raiders on foot or the Small Digger.
Appearances in other media
Page 31 of The Ultimate LEGO Book shows a photograph of a prototype Granite Grinder. This model is much more slender, and uses an unreleased roll cage piece. Its feet are smaller, pipes are attached to the sides of the vehicles, and spotlights are attached near the back. The minifigure shown seems to be a mix of Axle, Docs, and Bandit.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | |
---|---|---|---|
Czech Čeština | Drtič žuly | Translation of English name | |
Danish Dansk | Granite Grinder | Same as English name | |
Dutch Nederlands | Underground boormachine | "Underground drilling machine" | |
Finnish Suomi | Maanalainen porausvaunu | "Underground drilling vehicle" | |
French Français | Broyeur de granite | Translation of English name | |
German Deutsch | Granitbrecher | Translation of English name | |
Hebrew עִבְרִית Ivrit |
גורס גרניט Goresa granit |
Translation of English name | |
Italian Italiano | Trivella del sottosuolo | Literally "auger of the subsoil" | |
Japanese 日本語 Nihongo |
ドリルウォーカー [verify] Doriruu~ōkā |
"Drill walker" | |
Korean 한국어 Hangugeo |
화강암분쇄기 Hwagang-am bunswaegi |
Translation of English name | |
Norwegian Norsk | Underjordisk drill | "Underground drill" | |
Polish Polski | Szlifierka granitowa Podziemny świder (in set 4940) |
Translation of English name "Underground auger" | |
Russian Русский Russkiy |
Гранитодробилка Granitodrobilka |
Translation of English name | |
Spanish Español | Trituradora de granito | Translation of English name | |
Swedish Svenska | Granite Grinder | Same as English name | |
Danish and Swedish versions leave this vehicle's name unchanged |
- The language table above is missing information for Portuguese.